Photo Essay: Yellow Cake and Chocolate Icing

In my opinion, yellow cake with chocolate icing is pleasure in its most basic form.

— Linda Sawyer

Think of the many delightful things in life: a baby’s giggles as her daddy tickles her belly, a kitten’s purr as he curls up beside you, your dog racing across the yard to catch a ball, even a thunderstorm as you watch safely from within your home. And yellow cake with chocolate icing.

What? You ask. How does a piece of food compare to the real joys of life?

Maybe it's the memories evoked, those all wrapped up in eating cake at my grandmother's as a child. The fragrant aroma of the baking cake wafted through the house and made my mouth water. I'd hear the timer buzz and bolt off Grandma's sofa and straight to the kitchen in anticipation. The sight of it put a gleam in my eye, and the creaminess of the icing dissolving in my mouth combined with the sweet, rich taste, well I remember it as pure bliss. As Grandma set a piece of cake, whether her standard yellow or her famous coconut one at Christmastime, on a a dish in front of me, I felt happy, loved. In my opinion, yellow cake with chocolate icing is pleasure in its most basic form.

If it’s been a while since you indulged, give it a try. Not a store bought one or even the one at the restaurant where it’s several layers high and all dolled up with whipped cream and shredded bits of chocolate. No. I’m talking about a good old-fashioned one like your grandma used to make. You’ll see. There won't be even a crumb left as the yellow cake with chocolate icing brings a satisfaction comparable to nothing else.